Interactive electronic device

ABSTRACT

An interactive electronic device includes an image capture module, a response module and a processing module. The image capture module is for capturing images. The processing module is for generating a first or second command set according to the image and output a control signal. The response module is for driving the interactive electronic device to perform a first continuous reaction corresponding to a specific pattern contained in the image according to the first command set or drive the interactive electronic device to perform a second continuous reaction according to the second command set. The processing module is further for replacing, adding or deleting at least a command in the first command set in a random manner thereby randomly obtaining a new command set.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation-in-part application of an application Ser. No.14/468,308, filed Aug. 25, 2014, now pending, which is acontinuation-in-part application of an application Ser. No. 13/715,985,filed Dec. 14, 2012, which is based upon and claims the priority benefitfrom Taiwanese Patent Application No. 100146931 filed Dec. 16, 2011. Theentirety of the above-mentioned patent applications are herebyincorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an interactive electronic device, andmore particularly to an interactive electronic device capable ofperforming various interactive modes in response to a specificpattern(s) on an image being identified.

BACKGROUND

Toys always are extremely important entertainment products in humanlife. In recent years, with the advances in electronic technology,videos game technologies are also integrated into the toy designs andthereby causing, due to the modern science elements in the modern toys,some conventional toys have been gradually disappeared.

With the popularity of electronic games, players may not have the bestplaying experiences if the toy cannot interact with the players; inother words, the interaction relationship between a player and a toy hasbecome a key element to enhance the entertainment.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide an interactive electronic devicecapable of providing a variety of interactive modes with children oreven adults so as to increase the entertainment.

SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS

Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide aninteractive electronic device capable of performing various responseactions according to a specific pattern contained in a captured image ofan object.

The present invention provides an interactive electronic device, whichincludes an image capture module, a response module and a processingmodule. Generally the image capture module can be realized as camera forshooting still image or video clips, and the response module compriseshardware to drive the interactive electronic device to perform visualmovement and action correspondingly. The image capture module isconfigured to capture an image. The response module is configured tooutput a control signal according to a pattern contained in the image.The processing module is electrically connected to the image capturemodule and the response module and configured to drive the interactiveelectronic device according to the control signal.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the interactive electronicdevice further includes at least an accessory. The image capture moduleis configured to capture an image of each accessory; each accessoryincludes at least a pattern thereon, and the response module cangenerate control signals corresponding to different patterns.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the image capture module isconfigured to identify the pattern contained in the image andaccordingly generate identification data. The processing module isconfigured to output the control signal according to the identificationdata. The image capture module includes a storage unit, an image captureunit and a processing unit. The storage unit is configured to store witha plurality of characteristic data. The image capture unit is configuredto capture the image. The processing unit is electrically connected tothe storage unit and the image capture unit and configured to identifyat least a characteristic of the image, compare the characteristic(s)with the characteristic data and accordingly generate the identificationdata.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the processing module isconfigured to identify the image(s) captured by the image capturemodule, accordingly generate identification data, and output the controlsignal according to the identification data. The processing moduleincludes a storage unit and a processing unit electrically connected tothe storage unit. The storage unit is configured to store with aplurality of characteristic data. The processing unit is configured toidentify at least a characteristic of the image, compare thecharacteristic(s) with the characteristic data and accordingly generatethe identification data.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the image capture moduleincludes an image capture unit and a first processing unit electricallyconnected to the image capture unit. The image capture unit isconfigured to capture the image. The first processing unit is configuredto search at least a characteristic from the image and transmit thecharacteristic(s) to the processing module. The processing moduleincludes a storage unit and a second processing unit electricallyconnected to the storage unit. The storage unit is configured to storewith a plurality of characteristic data. The second processing unit isconfigured to compare the characteristic(s) with the characteristic dataso as to determine a type of the specific pattern and control theresponse module to perform a corresponding response action.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the specific pattern is abarcode or a texture.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the interactive electronicdevice further includes a main body. The main body is an electronic toy.The response module is disposed in a head and/or limbs of the electronictoy.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the interactive electronicdevice further includes at least an accessory. The image capture moduleis configured to capture an image of the accessory. The accessoryincludes at least a specific pattern thereon functioning as arepresentative of the accessory. The accessory has a ball-like shape, abone-like shape or a milk-bottle-like shape.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the image captured by theimage capture module is associated with a detection result. Thedetection result includes a relative position information and a relativeposition information between the specific pattern and the main body.

The present invention provides an interactive electronic device, whichincludes an image capture module, a response module and a processingmodule electrically connected to the image capture module and theresponse module. The image capture module is configured to capture animage. The processing module is configured to generate a first commandset or a second command set according to the image and accordinglyoutput a control signal containing the first command set or the secondcommand set. The response module is configured to drive the interactiveelectronic device to perform a specific action according to each commandin the first command set or the second command set contained in thecontrol signal. The response module is further configured to drive theinteractive electronic device to perform a first continuous reactioncorresponding to a specific pattern contained in the image according tothe first command set or drive the interactive electronic device toperform a second continuous reaction according to the second commandset. The processing module is further configured to replace, add ordelete at least a command in the first command set in a random mannerthereby obtaining the second command set.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the image capture module isconfigured to identify the pattern contained in the image andaccordingly generate identification data, the processing module isconfigured to generate the first command set or the second command setaccording to the identification data and accordingly output the controlsignal.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the image capture moduleincludes a storage unit, an image capture unit and a processing unit.The storage unit is configured to store with a plurality ofcharacteristic data. The image capture unit is configured to capture theimage. The processing unit is electrically connected to the storage unitand the image capture unit and configured to identify at least acharacteristic of the image, compare the characteristic(s) with thecharacteristic data and accordingly generate the identification data.The characteristic can be contrast distribution of the image, sum ofbrightness of the image or portion of the image, such as sum ofbrightness of row of the image.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the aforementionedinteractive electronic device further includes at least one of a batterycharge sensor, an ambient brightness sensor, a temperature sensor, ahumidity sensor and an electronic clock. The battery charge sensor, theambient brightness sensor, the temperature sensor, the humidity sensorand the electronic clock are electrically connected to the processingmodule. The processing module is further configured to replace, add ordelete at least a command in the first command set in a random mannerthereby obtaining the second command set according to at least a sensingvalue of the battery charge sensor, a sensing value of the ambientbrightness sensor, a sensing value of the temperature sensor, a sensingvalue of the humidity sensor, a time of the electronic clock and anambient brightness presented by the image. By the way, the interactiveelectronic device can perform differently according to environmentvariation.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the processing module isconfigured to identify the image(s) captured by the image capture moduleand accordingly generate identification data, generate the first commandset or the second command set according to the identification data andaccordingly output the control signal.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the processing moduleincludes a storage unit and a processing unit electrically connected tothe storage unit. The storage unit is configured to store with aplurality of characteristic data. The processing unit is configured toidentify at least a characteristic of the image, compare thecharacteristic(s) with the characteristic data and accordingly generatethe identification data.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the image capture moduleincludes an image capture unit and a first processing unit electricallyconnected to the image capture unit. The image capture unit isconfigured to capture the image. The first processing unit is configuredto search at least a characteristic from the image and transmit thecharacteristic(s) to the processing module. The processing moduleincludes a storage unit and a second processing unit electricallyconnected to the storage unit. The storage unit is configured to storewith a plurality of characteristic data. The second processing unit isconfigured to compare the characteristic(s) with the characteristic dataso as to determine a type of the specific pattern thereby generating thefirst command set or the second command set.

Generally, the aforementioned unit and module are all electric circuitor software running on an electric circuit to process image and generatesignal to move the interactive electronic device.

In summary, due to the processing module can output a control signalaccording to a specific pattern contained in the image captured by theimage capture module and the response module can drive the interactiveelectronic device according to the control signal, the interactiveelectronic device of the present invention can perform various responseactions in response to objects with various patterns are detected; andthus, the mean for interacting with various objects is realized in thepresent invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above embodiments will become more readily apparent to thoseordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detaileddescription and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is a schematic block view of an interactive electronic device inaccordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a schematic view illustrating an electronic toy, realized bythe interactive electronic device, and a number of objects which areconfigured to interact with the electronic toy;

FIG. 2 is a schematic block view of the image capture module in FIG. 1A;

FIGS. 3A, 3B are schematic views illustrating a process of theelectronic toy shown in FIG. 1B interacting with an object;

FIG. 4 is a schematic block view of an interactive electronic device inaccordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic block view of a processing module in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a schematic block view of an interactive electronic device inaccordance with a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7A is a schematic block view of an image capture module in FIG. 6;

FIG. 7B is a schematic block view of a processing module in FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic block view of an interactive electronic device inaccordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The disclosure will now be described more specifically with reference tothe following embodiments. It is to be noted that the followingdescriptions of preferred embodiments are presented herein for purposeof illustration and description only. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed.

FIG. 1A is a schematic block view of an interactive electronic device inaccordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown,the interactive electronic device 1 of the present embodiment isconfigured to perform various response actions in response variousobjects (not shown) with a specific pattern being detected, so as torealize a function capable of interacting with a plurality of variousobjects. The interactive electronic device 1 includes an image capturemodule 12, a response module 13 and a processing module 14; wherein theprocessing module 14 is electrically connected to the image capturemodule 12 and the response module 13. In addition, the interactiveelectronic device 1 may further include a main body 11, in which theimage capture module 12, the response module 13 and the processingmodule 14 are disposed.

Hereafter the main body 11 of the interactive electronic device 1 isexemplified by an electronic toy; however, it is understood that thepresent invention does not limit the appearance of the main body 11.Moreover, hereafter the main body 11 having the image capture module 12,the response module 13 and the processing module 14 disposed in is alsoreferred to an electronic toy 15 as shown in FIG. 1B.

FIG. 1B is a schematic view illustrating an electronic toy, realized bythe interactive electronic device 1, and a number of objects which areconfigured to interact with the electronic toy. Please refer to FIGS.1A, 1B. The main body 11 of the electronic toy 15 has, for example butwithout any limitation, a dog appearance. The image capture module 12and the response module 13 are disposed in the main body 11; wherein thelens 124 of the image capture module 12 is configured to serve an eye(s)of the electronic toy 15, and the response module 13 can be disposed inthe movable parts (for example, a head and/or limbs) of the main body11.

The image capture module 12 is configured to capture images of a numberof various objects. The processing module 14 is configured to output acontrol signal according to a specific pattern contained in the capturedimages; in other words, the control signal is associated with thespecific pattern contained in the captured image. The response module 13is configured to drive the interactive electronic device 1 according tothe control signal; in other words, the control signal is configured tocontrol the response module 13 to perform a specific response action(for example, control the response module 13 to have a running action)and thereby further driving the electronic toy 15. Thus, the interactiveelectronic device 1 according to the present embodiment can performspecific response actions when various corresponding objects aredetected.

The aforementioned specific pattern can be the overall outline of theappearance of an object; and the object is, for example, a ball(designated by Q1), a milk bottle (designated by Q2) or a bone(designated by Q3). Thus, the interactive electronic device 1 canperform a specific response action when one of the objects Q1, Q2 and Q3is detected. Or, in another embodiment, the interactive electronicdevice 1 is configured to perform a specific response action only when acorresponding accessory (for example, the accessories M1, M2 or M3) isdetected; wherein the accessories M1, M2 and M3 are designed to beassociated with the interactive electronic device 1, and each has aspecific corresponding pattern thereon functioning as a representativeof the associated accessory. For example, the accessory M1 has aball-like shape and the pattern P1 thereon is, for example, a circle;and thus, the interactive electronic device 1 can determine that theaccessory M1 has a ball-like shape when the pattern P1 (or a circle) isdetected. Similarly, the accessory M2 has a milk-bottle-like shape andthe pattern P2 thereon is, for example, a square; and thus, theinteractive electronic device 1 can determine that the accessory M2 hasa milk-bottle-like shape when the pattern P2 (or a square) is detected.Similarly, the accessory M3 has a bone-like shape and the pattern P3thereon has, for example, an X-like mark; and thus, the interactiveelectronic device 1 can determine that the accessory M3 has a bone-likeshape when the pattern P3 (or an X-like mark) is detected. It isunderstood that the pattern on the associated accessory in otherembodiments is, for example, a barcode or a specific texture; in otherwords, as long as the pattern is recognizable to the interactiveelectronic device 1, the present invention does not limit the types ofthe pattern.

When a player, through an object or an accessory, is interacting withthe electronic toy 15, firstly the first electronic toys 15 performs anidentification process on the object or the accessory. FIG. 2 is aschematic block view of the image capture module 12, configured toperform the identification process on an object or an accessory, inaccordance with the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown,the image capture module 12 includes a storage unit 121, an imagecapture unit 122 and a processing unit 123; wherein the processing unit123 is electrically connected to the storage unit 121 and the imagecapture unit 122.

Identification Process in the First Embodiment

Please refer to FIGS. 2, 3A. The electronic toy 15 is, for example, in astill state before a player interacts with it. The image capture unit122 of the electronic toy 15 is configured to have a determineddetection region; wherein the detection region is designated by thedotted lines as shown in FIG. 3A, and the detection region has, forexample but without any limitation, a range of 10 meters.

Please refer to FIGS. 2, 3B. Then, the image capture unit 122, usuallyrealized as a small camera installed inside the toy, is configured tocapture an image of the object Q1 when the object Q1 is thrown withinthe detection region of the image capture unit 122 by the player;wherein a detection result, for indicating a relative positioninformation and a relative distance information between the object Q1and the main body 11, can be derived from this captured image. Next, theimage capture unit 122 is configured to transmit the captured image tothe processing unit 123 for the identification process. The processingunit 123 is configured to search at least one characteristic containedin the image; wherein the characteristic(s) is, for example, a shapecharacteristic, a size characteristic or a color characteristic, or, acombination of them. In addition, the characteristic search may berealized by a global characteristic search or a local characteristicsearch; wherein the local characteristic search is associated with thelocal binary pattern (LBP) or the Haar pattern, and the globalcharacteristic search is associated with the color histogram pattern.

Afterwards, the processing unit 123 is configured to compare at leastone characteristic contained in the captured image of the object Q1 withthe characteristic data stored in the storage unit 121 so as to generateidentification data; wherein the comparison is realized, for example butwithout any limitation, by vector inner product.

Accordingly, once the identification data is generated, the processingunit 123 can determine that the object thrown within the detectionregion of the image capture unit 122 is the object Q1 with a ball-likeshape, and also the relative distance information and the relativeposition information between the object Q1 and the electronic toy 15 aredetermined. Then, the processing unit 123 is configured to transmit theidentification data associated with the object Q1 to the processingmodule 14. The processing module 14 is configured to generate a controlsignal according to the identification data and transmit the controlsignal to the response module 13. Consequently, the response module 13is configured to control the electronic toy 15 to perform a specificresponse action according to the control signal. For example, theelectronic toy 15 is an electronic toy dog, and the control signal maybe configured to drive the four limbs to have a running action so as todrive the electronic toy 15 to chase the ball-like object Q1, meanwhilethe camera (i.e. the image capture unit 122) continuously takes imagesto keep the electronic toy dog chasing the object Q1. Once theelectronic toy 15 touches the ball-like object Q1, the image captured bythe camera can represent the touch, and the control signal may furtherdrive the response module 13 to perform another specific response actionto the object Q1, such as driving the four limbs of the electronic toy15 to play with the ball. However, to enhance the entertainment,sometimes, by random algorithm, the electronic toy can perform in oddway instead of performing predicted action. For example, the electronictoy can run to the object Q1 once it sees the object by camera, but thensuddenly walks away, or kicks the object out. The odd operation istriggered by random algorithm to drive the response module 13 installedinside the electronic toy dog. In some embodiments, the processing unit123 is a digital signal process (DSP), while the processing module 14 isa microprocessor (MCU), a central processing unit (CPU), an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC) or the like.

Therefore, based on the aforementioned description the interactionbetween the interactive electronic device 1 and an object is realized.In addition, although the interactive electronic device 1 in theaforementioned description is exemplified by having specific responseactions (for example, run, chase and play) with the ball-like object Q1,it is to be noted that the interactive electronic device 1 of thepresent invention does not limit the interacting object as well as theassociated response actions; in other words, the interactive electronicdevice 1 according to the present embodiment can be configured toperform various response actions according to various types of object.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block view of an interactive electronic device inaccordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 isa schematic block view of a processing module in FIG. 4. As shown, theinteractive electronic device 2 includes an image capture module 22, aresponse module 23 and a processing module 24; wherein the processingmodule 24 is electrically connected to the image capture module 22 andthe response module 23. All these modules are hardware and/or hardwarewith software or firmware. The hardware comprises such as electroniccircuit, mechanism to process electronic signal and perform movementcorrespondingly. The movement is, for example, configured to let theelectronic toy move, jump, run, bend, swing, wave limb, blink, and etc.In addition, the interactive electronic device 2 may further include amain body 21, in which the image capture module 22, the response module23 and the processing module 24 are disposed. The interactive electronicdevice 2 according to the present embodiment is similar to theinteractive electronic device 1 shown in FIG. 1A, and the maindifference between the two is that the image identification is realizedby the processing module 24.

The main body 21 and the response module 23 in the present embodimenteach have functions similar to that of the main body 11 and the responsemodule 13 of the first embodiment, respectively; and thus, no anyunnecessary detail will be given here. In particular, the image capturemodule 22 is configured to capture images of an object (not shown) andtransmit the captured images to the processing module 24. The processingmodule 24 is configured to identify the captured images, generateidentification data according to the captured images, and output acontrol signal according to the identification data. Specifically, theprocessing module 24 includes a storage unit 241 and a processing unit242; wherein the processing unit 242 is electrically connected to thestorage unit 241. The storage unit 241 is configured to store with aplurality of characteristic data. The processing unit 242 is configuredto identify at least one characteristic of the captured image, comparethe characteristic(s) with the stored characteristic data so as togenerate identification data, and output a control signal correspondingto the identification data to the response module 23. The responsemodule 23 is configured to be driven by the control signal to perform aspecific response action. The process of identifying images and themeans of generating the identification data are similar to that of thefirst embodiment; and thus, no any unnecessary detail will be givenhere.

FIG. 6 is a schematic block view of an interactive electronic device inaccordance with a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7A isa schematic block view of an image capture module in FIG. 6. FIG. 7B isa schematic block view of a processing module in FIG. 6. As shown, theinteractive electronic device 5 includes an image capture module 52, aresponse module 53 and a processing module 54; wherein the processingmodule 54 is electrically connected to the image capture module 52 andthe response module 53. In addition, the interactive electronic device 5may further include a main body 51, in which the image capture module52, the response module 53 and the processing module 54 are disposed.The interactive electronic device 5 according to the present embodimentis similar to the interactive electronic device 1 shown in FIG. 1A, andthe main difference between the two is that the image identification isrealized by the image capture module 52 and the processing module 54.That means as long as there is a hardware and software capable ofidentifying image of object, the hardware and software can be installedin either image capture module or processing module. For example, inthis embodiment, the image capture module can be designed to focus onimage processing function, and the workload of image identification canbe processed by the processing module.

The main body 51 and the response module 53 in the present embodimenteach have functions similar to that of the main body 11 and the responsemodule 13 of the first embodiment, respectively; and thus no anyunnecessary detail will be given here. Moreover, the image capturemodule 52 includes an image capture unit 521 and a first processing unit522; wherein the first processing unit 522 is electrically connected tothe image capture unit 521. In particular, the image capture unit 521 isconfigured to capture images of an object (not shown) and transmit thecaptured images to the first processing unit 522. The first processingunit 522 is configured to search at least one characteristic from thecaptured image and transmit the characteristic(s) to the processingmodule 54; wherein the characteristic(s) in the captured image and themeans for searching the characteristic(s) from the captured image aresimilar to that in the first embodiment, and thus, no any unnecessarydetail will be given here. In addition, the processing module 54includes a storage unit 541 and a second processing unit 542; whereinthe second processing unit 542 is electrically connected to the storageunit 541. The storage unit 541 is configured to store with a pluralityof characteristic data. The second processing unit 542 is configured tocompare the characteristic(s) of the captured image with thecharacteristic data so as to determine the type of a specific patterncontained in the captured image, and accordingly control the responsemodule 53 to perform a specific response action. The characteristiccomparison means are similar to that in the first embodiment; and thus,no any unnecessary detail will be given here.

FIG. 8 is a schematic block view of an interactive electronic device inaccordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention. As shown,the interactive electronic device 80 in the present embodiment includesan image capture module 82, a response module 83 and a processing module84; wherein the processing module 84 is electrically connected to theimage capture module 82 and the response module 83. In the following, amain body 81 having an electronic toy shape is took as an example forillustrating an embodiment of the interactive electronic device 80;however, it is understood that the main body 81 is not limited to havingan electronic toy shape in the present invention. As shown, the mainbody 81 (an electronic toy, for example, a dog) includes the imagecapture module 82, the response module 83 and the processing module 84.Specifically, the image capture module 82 and the processing module 84are disposed in the main body 81. The lens of the image capture module82 may function as the eyes of the main body 81 (an electronic toy, forexample, a dog). The response module 83 may be disposed in the movableparts of the main body 81 (an electronic toy, for example, a dog), suchas head and legs.

The interactive electronic device 80 in the present embodiment issimilar to the interactive electronic device 1 of FIG. 1A. The maindifference between the two is that the processing module 84 in theinteractive electronic device 80 is configured to generate a firstcommand set or a second command set according to the image captured bythe image capture module 82 and accordingly output a control signalcontaining the first command set or the second command set. In addition,the response module 83 is configured to drive the interactive electronicdevice 80 to perform a predetermined action according to each command inthe first command set or the second command set contained in the controlsignal. For example, the response module 83 may drive the interactiveelectronic device 80 to perform a running movement according to onespecific command or drive the interactive electronic device 80 to pickup and hold a ball in its mouth according to another specific command.

In the present embodiment, the response module 83 may be furtherconfigured to drive the interactive electronic device 80 to perform afirst continuous reaction (which is a set including a plurality ofpredetermined actions) corresponding to a specific pattern contained inthe aforementioned image according to the first command set or drive theinteractive electronic device 80 to perform a second continuous reaction(which is also a set including a plurality of predetermined actions)according to the second command set. For example, when the image capturemodule 82 captures an image containing the accessories M1, theprocessing module 84 may determine that the accessories M1 has a ballshape based on that the specific pattern P1 on the accessories M1 has acircle shape and accordingly generate the first command set. Thus, theresponse module 83 may drive the interactive electronic device 80 to runfor the accessories M1, pick up and hold the accessories M1 in itsmouth, and then run back to the original position of the interactiveelectronic device 80 according to the first command set. Or, whendetermining that the accessories M1 has a ball shape based on that thespecific pattern P1 on the accessories M1 has a circle shape, theprocessing module 84 may replace, add or delete at least a command inthe first command set in a random manner thereby obtaining the secondcommand set. Thus, the response module 83 may drive the interactiveelectronic device 80 to perform some specific actions, such as runningfor the accessories M1, playing with the accessories M1, and then runback to the original position of the interactive electronic device 80according to the second command set. As a result, the interactiveelectronic device 80 has higher entertainment.

In this embodiment, the image capture module 82 is configured toidentify the specific pattern contained in the captured image andaccordingly generate identification data. In one embodiment, the imagecapture module 82 may include a storage unit, an image capture unit anda processing unit, same as the image capture module 12 in FIG. 2.Specifically, the storage unit is stored with a plurality ofcharacteristic data; and the image capture unit is for capturing images.The processing unit is electrically connected to the storage unit andthe image capture unit and is configured to identify at least acharacteristic of the aforementioned image, compare the characteristicdata stored in the storage unit with the characteristic of the image,and accordingly generate the identification data. Thus, the processingmodule 84 can generate the first command set or the second command setaccording to the identification data thereby generating the controlsignal.

Refer to FIG. 8, again. The interactive electronic device 80 may furtherinclude at least one of a battery charge sensor 85, an ambientbrightness sensor 86, a temperature sensor 87, a humidity sensor 88 andan electronic clock 89. The battery charge sensor 85, the ambientbrightness sensor 86, the temperature sensor 87, the humidity sensor 88and the electronic clock 89 are electrically connected to the processingmodule 84. Correspondingly, the processing module 84 is furtherconfigured to replace, add or delete at least a command in the firstcommand set in a random manner thereby obtaining the second command setaccording to at least a sensing value of the battery charge sensor 85, asensing value of the ambient brightness sensor 86, a sensing value ofthe temperature sensor 87, a sensing value of the humidity sensor 88, atime of the electronic clock 89 and an ambient brightness presented bythe image captured by the image capture module 82. As a result, theinteractive electronic device 80 has higher entertainment.

More specifically, in the present disclosure, the interactive electronicdevice 80 previously stores a first command set, which is normally usedto control the interactive electronic device 80 to perform a firstcontinuous reaction when the specific pattern is recognized by theinteractive electronic device 80, and a second command set, which israndomly used to control the interactive electronic device 80 to performa second continuous reaction when the specific pattern is recognized bythe interactive electronic device 80. If the second command set is notselected, the interactive electronic device 80 only performs the firstcontinuous reaction; and the second continuous reaction is performedonly when the second command set is selected. In this way, for a periodof time during which the specific pattern is continuously recognizable,the second continuous reaction occurs within only a part of the periodof time to cause unexpected reactions, and within the rest part of theperiod of time the first continuous reaction hosts the operation. Andsince the second continuous reaction is designed to appear randomly,said a part of the period of time appears at any time interval among theperiod of time.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the identification datais not generated by the image capture module 82 in the interactiveelectronic device 80 of FIG. 8 but is generated through the processingmodule 84 identifying the image captured by the image capture module 82.Consequentially, the processing module 84 generates the first commandset or the second command set according to the identification data, andaccordingly output the control signal. Thus, in this embodiment, theprocessing modules 84 may include a storage unit and a processing unitelectrically connected to the storage unit, same as the processingmodule 24 shown in FIG. 5. Specifically, the storage unit is stored witha plurality of characteristic data. The processing unit is configured toidentify at least a characteristic of the aforementioned image, comparethe characteristic data stored in the storage unit with thecharacteristic of the image, and accordingly generate the identificationdata. Thus, the processing module 84 can generate the first command setor the second command set according to the identification data therebygenerating the control signal.

In still another embodiment of the present invention, the image capturemodule 82 in the interactive electronic device 80 of FIG. 8 may includean image capture unit and a first processing unit electrically connectedto the image capture unit, same as the image capture module 52 shown inFIG. 7A. Specifically, the image capture unit is configured to captureimages. The first processing unit is configured to search at least acharacteristic of the aforementioned image and output the searchedcharacteristic to the processing module 84. The processing module 84 inthe interactive electronic device 80 of FIG. 8 may include a storageunit and a second processing unit electrically connected to the storageunit, same as the processing module 54 shown in FIG. 7A. Specifically,the storage unit is stored with a plurality of characteristic data. Theprocessing unit is configured to compare the characteristic data storedin the storage unit with the characteristic of the image, determine thetype of the aforementioned specific pattern, and accordingly generatethe first command set or the second command set.

In summary, due to the processing module can output a control signalaccording to a specific pattern contained in the image captured by theimage capture module and the response module can drive the interactiveelectronic device according to the control signal, the interactiveelectronic device of the present invention can perform various responseactions in response to objects with various patterns are detected; andthus, the mean for interacting with various objects is realized in thepresent invention. Moreover, in one embodiment, because the interactiveelectronic device includes specific accessories each including aspecific easy-to-identify pattern thereon, the interactive electronicdevice can, without a complicated image identification process, performa response action in response to a specific accessory is detected. Inaddition, because the image identification process is relatively simplerand can be realized by a low-level processor, the interactive electronicdevice disclosed in the present invention not only can have a higherresponse speed, but also can have a lower production cost when alow-level processor is adopted therein.

While the disclosure has been described in terms of what is presentlyconsidered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is tobe understood that the disclosure needs not be limited to the disclosedembodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover variousmodifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadestinterpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similarstructures.

What is claimed is:
 1. An interactive electronic device, comprising: animage capture module; a response module; and a processing moduleelectrically connected to the image capture module and the responsemodule; wherein the image capture module is configured to capture animage of an object, the processing module is configured to generate afirst command set according to the image and accordingly output acontrol signal containing the first command set, the response module isconfigured to drive the interactive electronic device to perform aspecific action according to each command in the first command set, theresponse module is further configured to drive the interactiveelectronic device to perform a first continuous reaction correspondingto a specific pattern contained in the image according to the firstcommand set, and wherein the processing module, triggered by a randomalgorithm installed in the interactive electronic device, furtherrandomly replaces, adds or deletes at least a command in the firstcommand set in operation thereby randomly obtaining a new command setdifferent from the first command set to drive the interactive electronicdevice to perform unexpected reactions according to the new command set,wherein in a period of time during which the specific pattern iscontinuously recognizable in the image, the interactive electronicdevice is driven to: perform the unexpected reactions according to thenew command set within only a part of the period of time, and performthe continuous reaction according to the stored command set in the restof the period of time.
 2. The interactive electronic device according toclaim 1, wherein the image capture module is configured to capture animage of at least one accessory, each of the at least one accessorycomprises at least a pattern thereon functioning as a representative ofthe associated accessory.
 3. The interactive electronic device accordingto claim 1, wherein the image capture module is configured to identifythe pattern contained in the image and accordingly generateidentification data, and the processing module is configured to generatethe first command set according to the identification data andaccordingly output the control signal.
 4. The interactive electronicdevice according to claim 3, wherein the image capture module comprises:a storage storing a plurality of characteristic data; and a processingunit electrically connected to the storage, and configured to identifyat least a characteristic of the image, compare the characteristic(s)with the characteristic data and accordingly generate the identificationdata.
 5. The interactive electronic device according to claim 4, whereinthe characteristic(s) is selected from a group consisting of a shapecharacteristic, a size characteristic and a color characteristic.
 6. Theinteractive electronic device according to claim 1, further comprisingat least one of a battery charge sensor, an ambient brightness sensor, atemperature sensor, a humidity sensor and an electronic clock, whereinthe battery charge sensor, the ambient brightness sensor, thetemperature sensor, the humidity sensor and the electronic clock areelectrically connected to the processing module, the processing moduleis further configured to replace, add or delete at least a command inthe first command set in a random manner thereby randomly obtaining thenew command set according to at least a sensing value of the batterycharge sensor, a sensing value of the ambient brightness sensor, asensing value of the temperature sensor, a sensing value of the humiditysensor, a time of the electronic clock and an ambient brightnesspresented by the image.
 7. The interactive electronic device accordingto claim 1, wherein the processing module is configured to identify theimage(s) captured by the image capture module and accordingly generateidentification data, generate the first command set according to theidentification data and accordingly output the control signal.
 8. Theinteractive electronic device according to claim 7, wherein theprocessing module comprises a storage and a processing unit electricallyconnected to the storage, the storage stores a plurality ofcharacteristic data, and the processing unit is configured to identifyat least a characteristic of the image, compare the characteristic(s)with the characteristic data and accordingly generate the identificationdata.
 9. The interactive electronic device according to claim 8, whereinthe characteristic(s) is selected from a group consisting of a shapecharacteristic, a size characteristic and a color characteristic. 10.The interactive electronic device according to claim 1, wherein theimage capture module comprises a first processing unit configured tosearch at least a characteristic from the image and transmit thecharacteristic(s) to the processing module, the processing modulecomprises a storage and a second processing unit electrically connectedto the storage, the storage stores a plurality of characteristic data,and the second processing unit is configured to compare thecharacteristic(s) with the characteristic data so as to determine a typeof the specific pattern thereby generating the first command set. 11.The interactive electronic device according to claim 10, wherein thecharacteristic(s) is selected from a group consisting of a shapecharacteristic, a size characteristic and a color characteristic. 12.The interactive electronic device according to claim 1, wherein thespecific pattern is a barcode or a texture.
 13. The interactiveelectronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a main body,wherein the main body is an electronic toy, the response module isdisposed in a head and/or limbs of the electronic toy.
 14. Theinteractive electronic device according to claim 13, wherein the imagecapture module is configured to capture an image of at least oneaccessory, the accessory comprises at least a specific pattern thereonfunctioning as a representative of the accessory, and the accessory hasa ball-like shape, a bone-like shape or a milk-bottle-like shape. 15.The interactive electronic device according to claim 1, wherein theimage captured by the image capture module is associated with adetection result, the detection result includes a relative positioninformation and a relative position information between the specificpattern and the main body.
 16. The interactive electronic deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the part of the period of time is at anytime interval among the period of time.
 17. An operating method for aninteractive electronic device, the interactive electronic devicecomprising an image capture module, and previously storing a command setfor controlling the interactive electronic device to perform acontinuous reaction, the operating method comprising: capturing an imageby the image capture module; recognizing a specific pattern in theimage; and triggered by a random algorithm installed in the interactiveelectronic device, randomly replacing, adding or deleting at least acommand in the command set in operation when the specific pattern isrecognized in the image thereby randomly obtaining a new command setdifferent from the stored command set to drive the interactiveelectronic device to perform unexpected reactions according to the newcommand set, wherein in a period of time during which the specificpattern is continuously recognizable in the image, the operating methodfurther comprises: controlling the interactive electronic device toperform the unexpected reactions according to the new command set withinonly a part of the period of time, and controlling the interactiveelectronic device to perform the continuous reaction according to thestored command set in the rest of the period of time.
 18. The operatingmethod according to claim 17, wherein the part of the period of time isat any time interval among the period of time.
 19. The operating methodaccording to claim 17, wherein the specific pattern is a barcode or atexture.